The French president must meet his Russian counterpart before going to Kiev.
Le Monde with Reuters
The French President, Emmanuel Macron, is in Moscow, Monday, February 7, for a risky diplomatic mission aimed at obtaining commitments from his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin to calm tensions with Ukraine, that the West suspects the Kremlin to want to invade.
Emmanuel Macron, who has multiplied in recent days contacts with his Western allies, will meet Tuesday in Kiev the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.
“We will discuss the terms of de-escalation. We must be very realistic. We will not get unilateral gestures, but it is essential to avoid a deterioration of the situation”, a Declared French Head of State in Sunday Journal
Emmanuel Macron plays big in this mission that could be embarrassing if it comes back with empty hands, while France is currently ensuring the presidency of the European Union.
This tour is part of diplomatic efforts to defuse tensions while Russia has massaged more than 100,000 soldiers at the gates of Ukraine while removing any intention to invade the territory of its neighbor. , of which she appended the Crimea Peninsula in 2014.
Moscow claims the Westerners of the guarantees on his security, including the cessation of any expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to the East, the requirement rejected by the United States and The Atlantic Alliance.
According to two sources close to Emmanuel Macron, one of the objectives of his visit is to save time and freeze the situation at least until April, who will see elections held in several countries – in Hungary, In Slovenia and France, where the outgoing President has not yet formalized his intention to shine a second term.
Exchanges with Johnson and Biden
The French leader, who has multiplied the mediated diplomatic strokes since his arrival in 2017, has had upset relationships with Vladimir Putin in the last five years, advocating a narrow dialogue with the Russian leader while suffering from painful reverse.
Shortly after his election, the tenant of the Elysée unfolded the red carpet for Vladimir Putin at the Palace of Versailles, but he had taken advantage of this visit to publicly denounce the Russian interference during the elections. Two years later, the two men spoke in the summer residence of the French president.
The many gestures of Emmanuel Macron to Vladimir Putin did not prevent Russia from interfering in the traditional French influence spheres in Africa, including the arrival at the end of last year in Mali Russian mercenaries that French officials suspect of being supported by the Kremlin.
The opening position of Emmanuel Macron with regard to Russia has also been criticized by the Eastern European countries of the former Soviet bloc, who suspicion the project of Emmanuel Macron to negotiate with Moscow a “new European security order”.
To counter the criticisms before his trip and endorse the role of European leader in this crisis, Macron consulted a wide range of Western leaders, including the British Boris Johnson and the US president, Joe Biden.